What Happens Now
by JessicaDelko
Summary: This story picks up after the giant cliffhanger that was the season 5 finale. Basically my take on Season 6. D/L mostly, DonDanny friendship in there too :- Summaries hard for this one, plz r&r!
1. Chapter One

**A/N: I return!!! Haha but no I've been any from fanfic way too long and my last story came up a bust 'cause I just couldn't commit to the story but I've found one I really want to do. After the fifth season finale of CSI: NY I was compelled to take a shot at the awaiting Season 6 that will take all too long to air ******** This story is my AU attempt at the episodes to come, so please r&r!! :-) **

**DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately do not have any rights to CSI: NY…*tear*…**

**One: Sullivan's **

Everyone raised their glasses to Jessica and took a sip. The team was almost smiling until the sound of breaking glass caused everybody to duck. Bottles exploded and tables were knocked over by falling bar patrons. Mac put his hands over his head and tried to look around at his team, who were also low to the ground. Stella and Hawkes met eyes with him the same surprise on their faces as he was sure he had. Once the firing stopped, he heard tires squeal followed by a sickening silence. He stood and surveyed the room.

"Is everyone alright?" he yelled, looking back to Stella, Hawkes and Don who had made his way over to them. They turned to Sid who was sitting up against a table.

"I'm fine, just some ringing in my ears," he assured them.

"Danny…Danny!" Lindsay was kneeling over Danny frantically holding her hand against the bleeding wound in his chest. He was awake, his hand gripping to the arm of her shirt. Blood was seeping from beneath him also; the bullet had penetrated his back and gone straight through his chest.

"Flack, call 911," he said rushing over beside Lindsay. She was trying to talk to him but she was already unable to hold back her tears in front of him.

"Lindsay…I'll be okay… Don't cry hon…" Danny wheezed his grip on her sweater slackening. Sheldon came over to Danny and looked him over.

"I need to see his back; he may have been hit more than once. This might sting Danny be strong," he told them, as Mac helped him onto his side. As he feared, there were two holes in his back and only one exit wound.

"There's one still inside, Flack how long for the ambulance?" Hawkes asked.

"Two minutes out," he responded, still staying on the line with dispatch.

"Only two minutes Danny, two minutes. Please stay awake," she said stroking his hair gently. He was smiling up at her as his breathing became erratic and labored.

"I'm not goin'… Anywhere, got it?" he told her. She smiled through the tears as best she could but the warm liquid soaking her hand and covering her shirt scared her to death. Sirens could be heard approaching the bar quickly, giving everyone hope. Stella and Sid were helping up the several other customers and sitting them down so statements could be taken when the other officers arrived.

"Keep holding the pressure Linds, you're doing great," Hawkes told her as the paramedics finally pulled up. They rushed in with a gurney and their equipment bags. Hawkes explained Danny's condition while the team could only stand and watch them quickly start Danny on oxygen and bandaging his wounds as the went along, finally loading him into the ambulance, Lindsay still at his side. The sirens blared again as the vehicle took off towards the nearest hospital carrying two of their friends with it.

"He's going to pull through," Sid said quietly, to both himself and those around him.

"We need to figure out who did this," Flack said solemnly, trying to control the emotions that threatened to take hold of him, "I'll go to the hospital, Lindsay needs someone there while Danny's in surgery."

"My kit's in the car," Stella said.

"Mine too," Hawkes added. Mac looked at his team then at the destroyed bar.

"Let's get to work."

………………………………………………………………

She sat in one of the chairs in the small row against the corridor wall. She had just gotten off the phone with Danny's mother who was looking after Lucy for the night and was crying again quietly. It had only been hours since they lost Jessica, if she lost Danny she didn't know what she would do. The thought scared her more than anything had in her life. He had to be alright, there was no other possibility. She needed her husband, Lucy needed her daddy. She brought her feet up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees as she had when she was a child.

"Lindsay." Flack walked up and sat down beside, placing a gentle hand on her back. She leaned against his chest and let the tears flow in the safety of his arms.

"I'm scared Don, I can't lose him, what would I-" she couldn't finish her sentence. He rubbed her back as she tried to regain her composure.

"You're not going to lose him Linds, he won't give up, not for anything. You and Lucy are his life, and he's too damn stubborn," he told her. He sat back so he could look at her, "No one else is dying, we're not losing anymore friends. We just have to wait for him to come around."

"Thank you for coming. I know how hard it is for you to be here," she told him wiping her eyes.

"I need to be here, make sure history doesn't repeat itself," he said trying to smile, "He was there for me, I need to be here for both of you." Lindsay smiled through her tear soaked cheeks. She looked up at him and straightened his jacket that she had ruffled.

"You're an amazing friend. I know he'd be glad that you're here." They turned back to face the opposite wall, Lindsay leaning on Don's shoulder. All they could do now was wait.

**So??? I haven't written for a while, let me know what you think! I'm typing up chapter two as we speak so I'll update soon ******** Til then hugs and kisses!! Jessica xoxoxo**


	2. Chapter Two

**Here's Chapter Two as promised ******** Hope you enjoy, and reviews do mean a lot they've helped on my past stories and I love hearing from you. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY, never have, never will. I do this for shits & giggles :-P**

**Chapter Two: **

Stella had her camera around her neck and was prying bullets out of the bar, replacing them with laser trajectories. She bagged and tagged them all, photographing everything with a yellow card beside it. She pulled another bullet out of the wood shelving unit where the liquor bottles were kept. This one was stained with a red liquid. She tested it and as she thought it was positive for blood. That was the bullet that had hit Danny. She took a deep steadying breath and bagged in handing it to Mac, who took a good look and placed it with the others. There was no way that this was a coincidence, having just lost Jessica Angell in an officer involved shooting. Somehow there was a connection and they were going to find it. Flack hadn't called with news of Danny yet and everyone was still on edge. Mac was packing up boxes of evidence and double photographing everything. Hawkes was talking to witnesses with one of the first responders and Sid was giving his statement to another officer. After a rather heated discussion, the chief cleared Mac and the team to run with the case as long as he was kept well in the loop. IAB had quickly arrived to their dismay and was holding their own investigation as always, but were respectfully not getting in the way for once.

"You alright?" Mac asked turning to Stella.

"I don't know Mac. I just can't stop worrying about Danny," she sighed, pushing the last laser into place, "The bullet I handed you was positive for blood, likely Danny's."

"Call ahead put a rush on the ballistics, Hawkes is working on the skid marks outside, we may be able to get a make and model if all goes well," he said, "Adam's on his way he'll finish up here with some swing shift CSIs, you should go get some sleep. We're all running on fumes here, we're not going to get anywhere if we're falling over tired."

"I'll be fine I'm just-"

"Stella. You've been up almost 24 hours. Get some rest and come back with fresh eyes." Stella wiped her forehead with her wrist and yawned reluctantly.

"You're right, just let me finish up with the trajectory?" she asked getting a nod from Mac.

"I haven't heard from Don yet, I'm going to stop by the hospital see how Danny is," Mac told her, putting the lens cap on his camera, "I'll see you in the morning. 10am we'll all meet up at the lab."

"Alright. See you later," she called to his as he exited the bar. He walked out to Hawkes who was processing the curb and sidewalk in front of Sullivan's.

"Anything viable?"

"I don't know Mac, tread marks are clear, seems promising. I couldn't tell you what they are, cars aren't my forte," Hawkes explained.

"We're heading home for the night. Adam's coming in to take over the swing team. We'll meet up at 10am and hit the ground running. After everything that's happened we're too drained to handle this any longer tonight."

"Alright, let me know if you hear anything from the hospital," Hawkes told him packing up the collected evidence.

"I will. See you in the morning."

…………………………………….

It had been nearly four hours since Danny entered the OR and Lindsay and Don were still sitting in silent prayer. She had almost dozed off but the moment she closed her eyes all she could see was him lying on the floor covered in blood. She decided to get her and Don a cup of coffee. She held the cup in her hands trying to keep in steady. Her body was functioning on pure adrenaline now; she couldn't sleep until she saw Danny. Don was standing up stretching out his legs as he drank his coffee down. He leaned against the wall as he regained the feeling in his legs. The large swinging doors that led to the operating rooms swung open and a tall doctor with a mask around his neck came out, pulling off his scrub cap. He looked around the room then headed in Lindsay and Don's direction.

"You two are here for Danny Messer?" he asked.

"Yes," Lindsay replied quietly, standing up. Don walked over and stood beside her to keep her from falling over. Though her tears had dried she was still exhausted and slightly shaking.

"How is he?" Don asked, seeing Lindsay couldn't find the words.

"He's made it through surgery which is one big hurdle. We lost him for a minute but he didn't give up on us. He has a lot of internal damage from the bullet that stayed in his abdominal cavity, there was a lot of bleeding and some organ damage. He's comatose right now because of the pain medication and sedatives he had to be put on. There's a lot of healing left to do, until he wakes up, there's really not much else we know about his condition."

"But he's going to be alright?" Don asked.

"That's all up to him, we've done everything we can now, nature's got to do the rest," the doctor explained. He pulled a small bag from his breast pocket and handed it to Don, "I had my nurse bag this for you Detective, it's the bullet we recovered."

"Can I see him now? Where is he?" Lindsay asked, still holding Don's hand.

"A nurse will take you to his room. I have to go, but if you have any questions, you can page me at a nurse's station."

"Thank you," she said, a sense of slight relief in her voice. A short woman with light blonde hair walked up with a smile.

"He's this way," she said directing them to follow her down the hallway.

**R&R as always! :-p Hope you liked it, working on chapter 3 right now I can't stop writing! I'm going into another fanfic frenzy, oh how I've missed it! Talk to you soon! Jessica xoxoxo**


	3. Chapter Three

**Here's another dose of CSI: NY goodness!! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I. OWN. NOTHING. THIS. IS. FOR. FUN. **

**Chapter Three:**

When Lindsay saw him she felt her heart drop to the floor. She walked over to him and sat down in the chair beside the bed. She choked on her breath when she took his hand. He had minor cuts on his arms and his upper torso was bandaged from where the bullet was removed and tears were sown back together. Wires strung from him and monitors hummed and beeped around him. Don stood close to the doorway against the wall as he looked at Danny. His heart sank as he looked at his friend, an all too familiar scene. He looked at still as Jessica had; if he didn't know better he would've sworn his friend wasn't alive. He watched as Lindsay leaned over and laid a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm here Danny, you're going to be okay," she whispered in his ear. She held his hand in one of hers, the other gently stroking his hair that had started to grow out. She had told him she liked it when there was a little length to it, something to twirl in her fingers.

"I talked to your mom. She's taking Lucy for the night, then she'll come by tomorrow. I'm so proud of you Danny, you're the strongest person I know. You can get through this, I need you to. Lucy needs you too," she whispered, "I'm scared, I need to you to wake up for me so I know you're okay."

Don's heart broke as he watched and listened. He knew exactly what Lindsay was going through and he prayed to God that it wouldn't end the same. Seeing the two of them made him miss Jessica so much more than he already did. A hand touched his shoulder and he turned to see Mac standing beside him.

"How's he doing?" he asked quietly.

"Rough Mac. Until he opens his eyes I don't know, his chances right now from what's been explained… It could go either way," Don told him.

"Lindsay looks awful, I hate seeing any of us like this," he said, "I'll stay with her for a while, you should go home and get some sleep. We've all had a rough day and we'll need to be on our toes tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Go ahead Don. I'll keep you updated."

"See you tomorrow Mac." He gave his friend a weak smile then grabbed his jacket and headed out. Mac walked over to Lindsay as she looked up at him. Her face was pale, her eyes red from tears that would no longer fall.

"Thanks for coming Mac," she said, reaching out for his hand. He took it in both of his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It's nothing Lindsay, we're all here for Danny."

"I'm sure he's happy you're here. Well, he would probably be telling us both to go out and find these guys instead of sitting around," she smiled.

"That sounds like Danny. Right now he needs you here though, Stella, Hawkes and I have everything under control. This is where you need to be," he assured her.

"Thank you. Can you let everyone know he's out of surgery? My phone's almost dead," she asked.

"I will. Is there anything I can get you? Have you eaten anything since this morning?"

"I'm fine Mac but thanks. Sit down, there's no need for you to stand all night," she said. He smiled at her and settled down in the chair on the opposite side of Danny's bed where Lindsay was sitting. They sat in a comfortable silence praying that Danny would wake up soon and go home to Lindsay and Lucy, and this could all become a bad memory.

………………………………………

10am finally arrived and waiting in the break room of the NYPD crime lab were Stella, Hawkes, Flack and Adam. Mac walked in and stood at the head of the table.

"Let's get right into it. What have we got?" Mac asked.

"Tire treads came back to a newer model Cadillac Escalade. There was trace left behind, it's being processed as we speak. I've been working on a simulated scenario using the trajectory information in the computer lab. Bullets and casings are at ballistics and fingerprint labs waiting for work ups. By the looks of it all the rounds came from an 9mm Glock 18 machine pistol, heavy duty totally automatic handgun," Adam read off.

"Great job Adam, you've really come through as always," Mac said causing Adam to give a small smile of pride, "Stella, you get the tire trace, Hawkes, fingerprint the bullets and casings, Adam, you and I can take a look at the trajectories, make sure everything adds up. Flack come with us until we get something to go on," Mac quickly assigned. The team got up and headed to their assignments anxiously. Time was a factor in this investigation, and with little to go on they had to act quickly if they wanted to get anywhere. Everything was in this one heart and soul, and weren't going to give up for anything. Stella stopped in front of Mac on her way out the door.

"How's Danny?" she asked.

"I haven't heard anything since last night. I saw him after surgery, but no one really knows anything for sure yet. The sooner he wakes up the sooner they can figure things out. For now let's focus on the evidence, see where it takes us," Mac said, reaching for his ringing cell phone. He looked at the message then replaced it on his belt.

"Flack, change of plans we need to revisit one of the witnesses," Mac called to him. Flack turned to face him and pivoted on the spot changing his direction.

"Where we goin' Mac?" he asked.

"Angela Evans apartment. She was in the left corner of the bar last night. Some of her statement is matching up, I just need to talk to her again, see what's going on. She lives in an apartment on 10th, east of 25th," Mac told him as they hopped in the car. He pulled out his phone and texted Lindsay:

"**Out on some leads. How's he doing?"**

As they drove down the busy streets of Manhattan, Mac's phone rang with Lindsay's response:

"**Vitals are holding, but no change. Keep me informed."**

Mac shut the phone and let out a sigh of frustration as they pulled up in front of Angela Evans apartment building. They were let in by an exiting tenant and walked up three stories to suite 305. They knocked politely on the door and a small young woman with long chocolate brown hair and matching big eyes looked up at the two detectives.

"…Can I help you?" she asked timidly.

"Angela Evans?"

"Yes."

"This is Detective Don Flack, I'm Mac Taylor. You were at Sullivan's pub last night during the shooting. We just need to ask you a few more questions about your account of last night. Would you mind if we come in?" Mac asked politely, giving the girl a reassuring smile. He got a small smile back as she opened the door for them. She showed them to the small kitchen table.

"What is it you need to ask? I already gave my statement. I was in the bathroom when the shooting was going on, I wasn't feeling very well and my date hadn't shown up yet," she explained.

"We understand. Did you notice anyone at the bar last night that seemed suspicious? Likely sitting alone, a bit shifty?" Don asked.

"No, not that I remember. You think someone that was there last night knew it was going to happen?" she asked, playing with her shirt.

"We're exploring all possibilities but no, we don't believe this was a random shooting considering the number of NYPD officers there last night. Did you're date ever show up?" Mac asked.

"No, I don't know. After the police got there I just came home as quickly as I could. They probably wouldn't let him past the tape," she said pulling out her ringing cell phone. She quickly shut it and stuffed it in her pocket. She looked up and gave a rather fake, 'I really don't have time for this' smile. "I'm sorry but I have errands to run and things to get done. I'm afraid you're going to have to leave, if you have any more questions you know where I am." She stood up and escorted them to the door.

"Thank you for your time Ms. Evans, we'll be in touch," Mac said, not finishing his sentence before the door was closed behind him. Don turned to his friend and gave him a suspicious look, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Was it just me or did that seem really strange? She was fine until her phone rang," Don wondered aloud walking back down the buildings stairwell.

"You think something's up?" Mac asked.

"I got a bad feeling in my gut about that girl Mac. I think she knows something she's not saying," he confirmed. They reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped looking back up the way they had come.

"You feel like a little stakeout?" Don grinned.

"You want to follow her?"

"I don't buy the 'I have errands' excuse. I know if we find anything it wouldn't hold up but it'll give us an idea where to start," Don persisted.

"Fine, but lunch is on you."

"Deal."

**A/N: Oh what little plot bunnies have I unleashed on the unsuspecting public?? You'll just have to review to find out!! Say you love it, say you hate it, say you could give a crap, just boost my review numbers pretty please???? I love all my readers but sometimes I need some love too :-p. Ttyl!! Jessica xoxoxo**


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: Jessica again! Thanks a bunch to everyone who's subscribed so far. A big shout out to: CSIhannah, JavaJunkie4evr, madhatterette, nkhh923!! You guys rock! :-) Plus all my wonderful reviewers: browner864, carly-babes11, xocsinylvrMesserMonroe, uscrocks. (I'm writing this just after posting Ch3 so if I missed you, I'll fit everyone in next chapter :-))All writers enjoy feedback, suggestions and criticisms. You want something to happen, or something not to happen, I'm flexible as long as it works with the story. This is FANfiction, and you are fans of my fanfiction, so I want to make you happy :-). Enjoy Chapter 4!**

**Chapter Four: **

Sheldon Hawkes was leaning over the large lit table staring at the 37 shell casings that needed printing and swabbing. They were actually rather lucky that they had any casings, it meant the shooter had the gun far enough out the window. If they could find a car, there would likely be GSR all over one of the doors. For now he was hoping that they could find prints. After dusting them all he had nothing. He swore under his breath in frustration as he pulled off his gloves.

"You okay?" Stella to see how everything was going.

"I can't get a print on any of these. Nothing," Hawkes fumed. Stella looked at the casings in front of her. The look on her face was of deep thought, brainstorming. All of a sudden it looked as if a light bulb had flickered on over her head.

"Well, we haven't tried everything yet," she said, setting the file she was holding down.

"What are you thinking?"

"Fingerprints contain oils that can corrode metal. When a bullet is fired, the heat burns so high that the print stays on the metal long after the residue from a person's finger has gone. The fingerprint is in a sense burned into the metal, which wouldn't be detected using powder. Several police forces in Britain are exploring and perfecting the technology. If the corrosion's there, it will stay there unless you abrasively clean the metal. The only way to get rid of it is to actually take the surface layer of the metal off,"" Stella started.

"You're a genius. Let's get to work," Hawkes smiled. They gathered the equipment they needed and put the first casing inside the container.

"Where did you hear about this technique?" Hawkes asked.

"A forensic journal a couple weeks ago. British police are exploring the technology. They're not sure how the print stays; they believe it's the chloride ions from the salt in sweat. These produce lines of corrosion along the ridges of the fingerprint residue. When the metal is heated, for example when a gun is fired, the chemical reaction actually speeds up and makes the corrosion more pronounced. Therefore, a hidden fingerprint," Stella explained with a smile. They watched as the conductive powder passed over the bullet as the container tipped and tilted on the machine. They opened up the hood of the clear box and Stella carefully pulled out the casing.

"Oh my god," she said looking at the casing.

"What?" Hawkes asked anxiously seeing the strange look on his coworkers face.

"It worked."

"It worked?"

"It actually worked! There's a print! Look!" Stella set the casing on the table and grabbed her tripod camera. She quickly snapped several photos of the print then hooked the camera up to the computer.

"Stella Bonasera, you are an unbelievable genius," Hawkes smiled.

"I know but what else is knew? I'm gonna call Mac. Will you get started on the rest?"

"Sure, I'll get the first one running through AFIS," Hawkes said walking over to the computer. Stella walked into the hallway and pulled out her phone. As she dialed Mac's number, she heard the computer behind her beep, a beep she was hoping they would hear.

"…Mac? Good news."

………………………………………………….

She was slumped against his hospital bed, fast asleep, still holding his hand. There was a look of confusion, almost fear on her face. The machines beeped and hummed around them as they had all night and day, but she had learned to tune them out as she had fallen into a fitful sleep.

"Lindsay?" She woke up to see Danny's mother standing over her, tears in her eyes. She stood up and gave her mother in law a hug. Luisa Messer looked at the woman standing before her and wrapped her up in another hug.

"Lindsay, you are wonderful darling. Thank you for taking care of my son," she said into her ear as she pulled out of there hug.

"He's going to be okay Luisa. He's a strong man. Thank you for bringing Lucy," she said walking over to her sleeping daughter in the stroller behind Luisa. She lifted Lucy into her arms and laid a kiss on her forehead, "Hello sweetheart, Mommy missed you, so does Daddy. He loves you so much; he's going to be all better soon." She cradled her daughter back and forth as she slowly woke up. Her heart broke as she looked down at Lucy's big blue eyes staring up at her, just like her fathers. After a moment of looking up at her mother she started to whine and fuss in Lindsay's arms. She handed Lucy to her grandmother and stood up.

"I'm going to grab a cup of hot water to warm up her bottle. I'll be right back," she told Luisa. The woman nodded and sat down in the chair beside Danny, talking quietly to Lucy, telling her stories about all the trouble her father had gotten into as a child. Lindsay took the elevator down to the hospital cafeteria and asked one of the workers for a cup of hot water. The woman poured her a cup from the kettle used for teas then Lindsay thanked her. She turned back to the elevator and stepped in. When the doors closed and she was alone, she let everything out. She had 7 floors to let everything out, and she screamed out in frustration as loud as she could before breaking out into tears again, not worried about being strong for anyone. She was scared and angry and frustrated all at the same time and she couldn't hold it in. She was an inch away from losing her husband, her best friend, her life, and there was nothing else in the world that mattered now except him getting better and having their family back to normal. She looked up at the lit numbers above the door as they reached her floor. She wiped her cheeks and eyes quickly before the elevator opened and she stepped back out onto the recovery floor. She came back to Danny's room to find Lucia right in the middle of explaining how Danny and his brother Louie had been brought home by the Coast Guard after taking their grandfather's boat out to dive for bottles in the harbour. Lindsay couldn't help but give a faint smile at the three generations of Messers before her.

"You're father was a handful, but every Messer is. I'm sure you'll drive your Daddy crazy on more than one occasion," Luisa smiled down at the infant. Lindsay walked over and dropped the bottle in the hot water and set it on the side table to heat.

"Wait until the boys start after you, you're Daddy's going to be flashing that badge of his at any one who looks at you," Lindsay smiled when Luisa handed Lucy back to her mother. Luisa stood giving Lindsay the chair so she could feed Lucy then excused herself.

"I just have to use the girl's room. I'll be right back darling," she said. Lindsay nodded and turned back to Danny as Lucy quietly drank her formula. When Lucy was done, she set her over her shoulder and burped her, then laid her back down in the stroller she had pulled closer to the bed, gently rocking it back and forth as she sang a lullaby.

"_O blue eyes, close in slumber;  
O birdie in your nest,  
Sing to my little darling  
A pretty song of rest._

O wind among the lilacs,  
Soft through the window creep,  
And with your soothing music  
Lull baby off to sleep."

**A/N: What do you think? The lullaby is called 'O Blue Eyes' which I thought fit sooo well with Danny and Lucy. The link to hear it is . if you want to listen. Hope you enjoyed, r&r as always, I should have the next chapter up Wednesday night. Ttyl Jessica xoxoxo**


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:Yay more alerts! :-) Thanks cygnet1, julinka, carley-babes11, dizzygirl464, wolfeylady, SexyPunk54 and messermonroeforever125!!! Every review and alert add is a little fanfic self esteem boost :-p So the link didn't work last chapter, don't know why, but I'll try to track it down again. Thought I'd get scientific before, the tech I talked about is actually coming more into practice now, very cool idea I thought. So I just watched the season finale again and saw the half a second of footage that had Adam at the bar with everyone else but oh well :-p Let's just say he was sick or something. Anyways, 5****th**** installment awaits!!!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. Please. I have tuition :-S**

**Chapter Five:**

Don and Mac had been sitting out front of Angela's apartment building in their SUV waiting for her to come out for supposed 'errands'. Twenty minutes had passed and there was no sign of her.

"Do you think she's even gonna leave or she just wanted us out?" Don wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but something about this whole thing is off," Mac said, his cell phone ringing on his belt, "Taylor…What do you have… Great work Stella, Don and I will grab him; send my phone a photo and address. I'll call you when we're at the station."

"We got a name?" Don asked anxiously.

"We got a name," Mac smiled, "Jose Mercusio. Let's pick him up. Address is listed as an apartment above Fasooli's restaurant at Hudson and Laight in Little Italy." Don turned on the SUV's red flashing light and the siren blared as they made they're way through midtown, through Soho, turning them off as they approached Little Italy. Mac showed him the photo so they both got a good look before they barged in looking for the man. He was listed as 5"11; he had dark eyes and slick dark hair to match with olive skin. The man in no way looked friendly, fit the stereotypical mobster/gangster look. They parked in front of Fasooli's restaurant and walked through the front doors of the Italian eatery. There were five men sitting at a round table on the far right side of the dining room, two of them with their backs to the Detectives. They walked slowly over to the men who all wore skeptical looks on their faces.

"Can I help you?" the larger man facing them asked.

"We're looking for-" Don started, but didn't get to finish as he heard chimes ring behind him from the restaurant door opening again. He looked at the woman standing there, her face covered with surprise.

"Angela?" Mac asked. At the mention of her name one of the men turned from Mac bolted out of his chair and ran for the kitchen.

"Mac! Stay with Angela! Jose Mercusio, NYPD!" Don yelled running after their suspect.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Mac said turning to Angela, escorting her outside. Don pushed his way through the kitchen workers as he followed Jose around the cluttered room. The back door led to the alley beside the restaurant near where they had parked. The suspect stopped for a moment to weigh his options of which direction to take, choosing to head towards the street. Don flew out from the door behind him as he ran towards the cover of the busy sidewalk. He looked behind him to give Don a smirk then turned almost running into the black SUV that had blocked the exit. Mac Taylor was at the wheel returning the snide smile. Don caught up to Jose and pushed him against the car, handcuffing and reading off his Miranda rights. Angela and Jose sat in silence all the way to the precinct, and then were held in separate interrogations. Stella decided to try Angela while Don and Mac both grilled Mercusio.

"You lied Angela. You said you weren't involved, and when we go to pick up the man whose prints were on the bullet casings, you just happen to show up?" Stella said sternly sitting down across from the nervous woman, eyes in a dead stare, "I doubt you were there for the canoles."

"Look, it's not what you think," Angela started to explain.

"No I believe it is. Jose or whoever in there is your boyfriend and got you to follow us and give him the go ahead to try and blow our heads off. I did a little digging you see, and you're name came up as a witness in several shootings over the past few years. Far enough apart and seemingly unrelated, no one ever made the connection. Quit playing scared and innocent, you're a tough cookie with what looks like quite the experience under your belt." The woman didn't know what to say. In an instant her frightened eyes became smoldering and sly, a confident smile on her lips.

"You see I'm very good at my job. I keep my mouth shut, I live. So you see, you have nothing on me," she sneered, crossing her arms.

"Not enough for anything. Yet. Give me time, I'm also very good at my job," Stella spat at Angela, standing up and walking over to the woman, "I do however have enough to hold you for now, I'd watch your step." With that Stella left the interview room. Hawkes and Adam were standing on the other side of the mirror watching their latest suspect.

"Any other prints on the casings?" Stella asked.

"No, just Jose but Adam found something interesting," Hawkes said turning to the messy haired young man.

"Uh yeah, the trace in the tire treads came back as soil with high concentrations of Nitrate-N, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Sodium. It's a mixture specific to a type of fertilizer sold at several home improvement stores in the city, the brand is called Beauti-Lawn," Adam said handing a soil analysis to Stella.

"Good work Adam. We may not be able to find a location right away but we have a comparison for when we find the car. How's Mac doing with Don and Mercusio?"

"Let's go watch."

….

"Why did you run Jose?" Mac asked standing across from the man sitting at the table. He remained silent.

"You don't wanna talk, fine. Here's the facts. Last night me and my buds almost got our heads blown off and one of us is in the ICU. Now we got your prints on the bullet casings from the scene. What do you think? You looking good for multiple counts of attempted murder is what I see," Don ranted at the man in an attempt to break him.

"Hold out your hands," Mac said opening his kit.

"Why?" it was the first word Jose spoke.

"I'm testing your hands for GSR now hold them up," Mac asked impatiently. He complied and allowed Mac to wipe his wrists with the white pad. Mac sighed when the test came up negative, "You washed your hands Jose?"

"Look man I didn't shoot nobody, I just provide the pieces," Jose said waving his hands.

"To who? How are you involved with Angela Evans?"

"Who? The girl from Fasooli's? She ain't mine, she's Oscars. Hot piece though," the man smirked.

"You think you're funny huh? So you sold the gun to Oscar, Angela tracks us down, we still don't know if you pulled the trigger or not. If it wasn't you, give us a name," Don said leaning over the table.

"I think I'll take my lawyer now."

**A/N: Oooh, what'll happen next? Chapter 6 should be up either later tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Ttyl! Jessica xoxox (PS: Review button! Just below…Hint hint….)**


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Back again! Let's get to it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI NY, or any of the CSI franchises. Angela, Jose and Oscar though, they're mine.**

**Chapter Six:**

After sixteen straight hours at the hospital, Danny's mother convinced Lindsay to go home and get some sleep. It was nearly 3 in the afternoon and Lindsay hadn't slept since her and Danny had gone home nearly two nights ago. At first she refused but Luisa persisted.

"I know you want to stay with him love, but what would he say to you being over exhausted and sickly sitting here with him? Go, have a shower, lie down for a couple hours and come back. While you were sleeping in the chair, Stella called your phone. She's coming by to stay with Danny for a while. I'll take Lucy home; you worry about yourself right now. Come back strong and get my son to wake up." Lindsay couldn't say no to Luisa, and she was right. She was a right mess and was going to make herself sick if she didn't get a shower and a few hours sleep. She got a cab back to hers and Danny's apartment. The warmth of the water soothed her aching body; she just stood beneath it until the hot water ran out. She dried off and dropped onto her bed that was still unmade from the morning before. She rolled over to Danny's side of the bed and put her face in the pillow. She could smell him, the familiar scent lingering in the air. His glasses case was on the side table beside a newly framed picture of them with Lucy at the hospital. She wanted to cry, but there were no more tears, nothing left in her. She was physically and emotionally drained as she pulled the covers around her, engulfing herself in the familiar scent the bed sheets held, trying to imagine that when she woke up, everything will have just been a dream.

………………

"We're not getting anywhere Mac, we gotta get this Oscar guy in here but me and my guys are havin' a hell of a time trying to find him. From his mug shot he could've been one of the guys at Fasooli's but he's in the wind now and Jose either doesn't know or isn't talking," Don explained with frustration as the two men stared at Jose Mercusio through the one way mirror.

"Stella headed to the hospital?" Mac asked turning to Don.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head over when I finish the paperwork for this guy, put him back in the cage. How you holdin' up?"

"Tired, but who isn't right now. We've got a guy in custody; have a name of the possible conspirator. Jose probably knows or is the shooter which is frustrating as hell. The bullets finished running through the ballistics database, nothing linking the gun to a previous crime, likely a new model. No one packs a gun like that and doesn't use it for a long time. You?"

"Same. I just want him to hurry up and wake up. Start healin' up right and bring Lucy around for more visits," Don said running his hands through his hair.

"Get going then, call me when you get there, let me know how he's doing."

"Alright. Talk to you later Mac."

…………………

The building's basement was quickly emptied and the restaurant was shut down. The NYPD had set their sights on Fasooli's and Oscar couldn't have any heat there. Jose was a good contract man, but he slipped up somehow and it led them straight there. He locked the door and put the sign up saying the doors were closed for good. He'd sold the lease to some real estate guy that day and got the hell out of there. They'd have to set up shop somewhere else or Miguel would put him in the Hudson. They'd taken in Angela too which was a hitch in the plan. She knew well enough how to take care of herself, but if they cut her some sort of deal he knew she would flip in a second. She was cold, but it was a good thing to have in the business. She was sly, quick, and sneaky. In two weeks she tracked down the team of CSIs and the Detective with more info than anyone else could find. They would be in a lot of trouble if she ever went straight; she was too damn good at finding people, tracking people. He was just hoping Angela kept her mouth shut. If not, both of them would be screwed.

"Anything else Oscar?" his guy Julien asked.

"Nah, we got everything. Miguel's waiting for the shipment. Move it."

………………

**That's all for now, Chapter seven will be up in a jiff I promise!! :-) Ttyl! Jessica xoxoxoxo**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Hey!! I know the last chapter was my shortest, it was a kind of set up chapter, introducing new people :-). Here's the next chapter, r&r as always! Enjoy! **

**Browner864: Actually it is a real print retrieving technique that's still being developed, they used it on CSI: Miami once I'm pretty sure. As for your other question, here's your answer! :-)**

**Disclaimer: Ya know the drill, I don't own. You don't sue. Deal???**

**Chapter Seven:**

It had now been three days since the shooting. Leads were drying up, the suspects in custody were remaining silent, and they found no trace of the soil from the tire tracks at Angela or Jose's apartments. It seemed like they were getting cold and no one was happy. After Stella had visited Danny for a while, Hawkes came with Don and looked over his medical charts trying to figure out what was happening to his friend. After being brought in Tuesday night, no one knew what would happen to Danny, and now as Friday afternoon approached, everyone was worried about how long Danny had been out. Lindsay was back at the hospital with Don after he had snuck in take out for them to have lunch. Lucy was sleeping in the stroller beside Lindsay, just dropped off by Luisa. They ate in a comfortable silence, hoping that maybe a beep or blip on a monitor would indicate an improvement.

"He looks so peaceful, that's the scariest part. I look at him and I feel like he's just sleeping like any other night at home. I'm just so terrified that he won't wake up," she explained to Don as she took Danny's hand.

"Dan-O's a big boy, I guarantee you the second he wakes up he's gonna ask to be discharged," Don smiled, Lindsay smiling back. "I'm gonna use the bathroom I'll be back."

Lindsay turned to face Danny and brushed the hair from his forehead. She caressed his cheek and leaned over laying a kiss on his lips.

"Wake up Danny. Wake up and kiss me back," she said in his ear. She sat back and set her forehead on his hand clasped in hers, positioned like a prayer. She closed her eyes, deciding to pray, for the first time in a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she talked to God; she must have been a little girl in Montana, saying her prayers before bed. She sighed and opened her eyes and choked on her breath. She looked at her hands, which were being squeezed by Danny's.

"Danny? Come on Danny, I'm here, wake up sweetheart," she pleaded as the pressure on her hand stayed steady. She watched with overwhelming emotions as his eyelids fluttered and finally opened. She coughed and smiled as she felt hot tears well up and fall down her face, tears of utter joy. He looked up at the ceiling, dazed and disoriented for a moment before his gaze became more focused. Turning his head he met Lindsay's eyes and smiled.

"Hi," he said hoarsely, his throat dry.

"Hi," she said back with half a sob.

"So where's that kiss?" he asked. She laughed through the tears and leaned over to kiss him. She lingered for what seemed like forever, a moment that should never need to end, they were too happy to return to reality. In that moment they had gotten their family back. She stroked his hair as he held her hand tightly.

"You had me scared to death Danny Messer, don't you ever do that to me and Lucy again!" she tried to scold through her smile and tears, a rainbow of emotions washing over her. She grabbed a glass of water with a straw on the side table and helped Danny take a small sip to clear his throat. She set it down and looked back to him.

"I thought I lost you Danny," she whispered, more tears falling.

"Don't cry Linds, I'm okay, see?" he said reaching up slowly to her face to wipe the tears on her cheek. She held his hand there and closed her eyes. The feel of him comforted her, the warmth of his hand moving over her skin allowed her to feel that everything was going to be alright.

"Lucy missed you," she said gesturing over to the stroller. She stood up and picked their daughter up and brought her over closer to Danny.

"Hey sweetie," he said as she woke up. She looked at Danny and yawned. He held his hand up and she grabbed his finger, tugging on it for a moment before trying to put it in her mouth. "Daddy missed you too baby girl. I love you so much." They smiled as they looked at each other, Lucy cooing and wiggling between them. Danny looked to the door and Lindsay followed, to see Don standing there with a huge smile across his face.

"Hey Dan-O. Good to see ya buddy," he said. He stepped back and called a doctor from across the hall, and then stood opposite Lindsay and Lucy.

"You to man," he said holding his other hand up. Don took it and gave it a small shake. The doctor came in and stepped over to Danny.

"Mr. Messer, how are you feeling?" he asked shining a little flashlight in his eyes.

"Never better doc," his raspy voice joked. He tested various levels of awareness and looked over his vitals.

"Well Mr. Messer you're quite a lucky man. You've got a lot of healing left to do, but it's very good to finally see you awake. I'll give you and your family some time; I'll be back in a little while."

"Thank you," Lindsay said to the dark haired man. He gave a smile and a nod and then left them to themselves.

"You gave us all quite a scare there Danny," Don told him, taking a seat in the other visitors chair.

"So I've been told. I already got an earful from the ladies," he joked, "Could you move my bed up a bit? I need to sit up a bit, where's the up down button thing?"

"Here," Lindsay said reaching up on the bed. She held the button down so that Danny was at more of a sitting angle, but still was resting against the pillows.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a train, but it'll pass. How long was I out? What exactly happened?"

"You've been comatose for three days; you were shot twice in the back. What do you remember from Tuesday night?" Lindsay asked, rocking a fussy Lucy in her arms.

"I remember all of us at the bar, we were toasting Jess. Then there was a lot of noise and I was in a load of pain. Who the hell shot me?" he asked, coughing at the strain he caused himself.

"Easy there cowboy, don't hurt yourself. We've got a couple suspects been custody. They weren't the shooters but we're squeezing them for information," Don explained.

"Was anyone else hurt?" Danny asked, worry in his voice.

"No, everyone is alright. They're all working on the case. Everyone's been here to see you, you're moms been taking care of Lucy while I've been here. God I'm so glad you're awake Danny," she said after setting Lucy back down in her stroller. She leaned back to Danny and laid more kisses on him. She never wanted to let him out of her sight again.

"I'm gonna give Mac and the team a call, excuse me while I try to get a bar in this damn building," Don smiled leaving the room momentarily.

"So you gonna stick around a while?" Lindsay asked.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy Montana, I'm here to stay."

**Danny's awake!! Yay!!! I told you I wasn't totally evil, but now we must get back to the case. After all, who the hell shot Danny? Keep reading and reviewing to find out!!! :-D Ttyl Jessica xoxoxoxo**


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